This week, I’ll be doing an in-depth look at the In The Moment eyeshadow palette by Stila. As a refresher, in order to overcome my obsession with buying palettes left and right, I’m taking a hard look at what I already have in my stash and basically forcing myself to use one palette and one palette only, for a week at a time. Read last week’s post here.

I can’t say the packaging is anything to write home about… smudgy smudge smudge-ster.

In The Moment features 10 shades of eyeshadow in pretty generous sized pans. I’ve had this palette for quite awhile, but if memory serves, I bought it during one of those Christmas flash sales/specials that Sephora will run leading up to the holidays. I think I got it for $15 or $20. It’s no longer available from Sephora, and in fact, I’m having a hard time finding it online at all anymore, other than Stila’s website. I must have bought it in late 2012, and I do remember that there were four versions total (In the Light, In The Garden, In The Know, as well as In The Moment) and I was immediately drawn to this version because ALL THE PURPLE. What can I say, purple always calls my name. Loudly.

Stila’s official description: The In the Moment eye shadow palette is a stunning collection of Stila’s award-winning eye shadows, featuring a mix of pretty purples and ultra-wearable, neutral shades that flatter every skin tone and can be worn wet or dry.

The shade line-up (official descriptions by Stila with additional commentary by moi):Instinct – light baby pink with pink & white shimmer [this is a frosty white in my book… very shimmery]Desire – soft, creamy mid-tone pink [great to highlight those brow bones]Impulse – pale lavender with lavender shimmerWonder – mid-tone flesh pink with shimmer [description doesn’t do it justice – for a neutral, it’s very unique and looks great on the lid. Adds depth and contrast while still being very bright]Glance – intense violet with shimmer [gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!]Spontaneous – soft beige-gold with shimmer [again, description doesn’t do it justice – this is a gorgeous, warm, true gold that is so beautiful I can hardly stand it]Improvise – deep plum with pink sparkleWhim – soft warm reddish-brown with shimmerCatalyst – black with pink sparkleCaptivate – mid-tone purple-brown with golden pearl [Interesting to compare the “official” description with my own. I would never in a million years call this a purple-brown. Brown, for sure. Warm medium brown and it actually goes on a little darker than it looks in the pan. I’ve been using it as an eyebrow filler shade and it works great]

A week’s worth of looks from In The Moment:
– Monday: A quickie, because I was tired and grumpy on this particular Monday morning. Took a fluffy brush and swirled Wonder all over my lids and into the crease. Patted Desire on to highlight my brow bone, and used Captivate to fill out my brows (word to the wise, a little goes a long way!).
– Tuesday: Post-primer, used a soft, rounded brush to pat Spontaneous all over my lid up to the crease. Used edge of brush to work the shade into the crease. Took a fluffy brush and did a light application of Instinct on my brow bone and at the outer edges of my eyelid, to soften the gold look. Used a smudge brush to run Catalyst on my upper and lower lash lines.
– Wednesday: Ombre purple eye today, FTW! Applied base/primer of Maybelline’s Color Tattoo Leather in Vintage Plum, followed by a light dusting of Impulse under the brow bone and at corners of eyes. Smudged Improvise along my upper and lower lash lines, and patted Glance directly on my lid, above Improvise but still below the crease. Used a big, fluffy brush with a little bit more Impulse on it to blend away harsh lines and give it that ombre feel. It’s definitely bolder and more colorful than what I usually wear to work during the week, but I’m in love with it.
-Thursday: Another quickie… I wasn’t grumpy, but just up early and pressed for time. Took a fluffy brush and swirled Desire all over my lids up to the browbone. Patted Instinct on to highlight my brow bone, and used Wonder in the crease.
– Friday: Used a small fluffy brush to pat Whim all over my lid, stopping just below the crease. Took a fluffy blending brush and used Wonder to blend it out over the crease. Used a tad bit more Wonder as a brow highlight.

TAKEAWAY
For me, overall this is just an okay palette, but it tips into greatness and I’m glad it’s in my possession because it has TWO of the greatest eyeshadow shades (IMO) in my entire stash – the great and golden Spontaneous, and the nude wonder that is, well, Wonder. It doesn’t seem to be all that popular online and in the blogosphere, and it is also hard to obtain these days. But if you can snag it on sale or at a deep discount, I think it’s worth it. A bold purple eye is not an everyday thing for me, but it is great for that purpose as well.